News
New interactive track mapping using the IBTrACS WMS
Vision
Providing tropical cyclone best track data in a centralized location to aid our understanding of the distribution, frequency, and intensity of tropical cyclones worldwide.
Introduction
The intent of the IBTrACS project is to overcome data availability issues, and to freely disseminate this new global dataset. This was achieved by working directly with all the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers and other international centers and individuals to create a global best track dataset, merging storm information from multiple centers into one product and archiving the data for public use.
One of the goals of the project is for the data processing methods to remain open, such that desired user feedback on data quality is more easily collected. Also, data provenance is completely recorded so all observations and corrections, either through rigorous quality control or user feedback, may be tracked. Data are then provided in various formats given the diversity of the tropical cyclone (TC) data user community.
Caveat on Official Tropical Cyclone Track Data
The IBTrACS best track files are created by combining many data sources for each basin (from RSMCs and other agencies). As such the IBTrACS dataset is considered unofficial and does not replace the official WMO best tracks for tropical cyclones. For official track and intensity information, users should obtain data directly from the RSMC responsible for the basin of interest
